Lighting products sold online in the EU: 7 out of 10 are non-standard.

 

2.4 billion euro is the production turnover of the lighting sector in Italy in 2023, 80% of it generated by exports, with a trade balance of 864 million euro (+38% compared to 2022). These are the figures from the Federlegno Arredo Study Centre, which aggregates associations and companies in the furnishing, design and lighting sectors. 

 

Italian and European products are subject to stringent constraints in terms of sustainability and product safety and strict customs controls by non-European countries, especially China. On the other hand, these countries are notoriously hostile to imports of European products (with the application of real duties) while, especially online, they find fertile channels to sell their products.

 

The Brussels-based trade association LightingEurope brings together and represents 33 national companies and associations. Together, more than 1,000 European companies are represented that are active in the production of luminaires, lamps and related components, with a workforce of more than 80,000 across Europe. LightingEurope is committed to promoting efficient lighting for the benefit of visual comfort, safety, energy savings and the environment. It supports and proposes the regulatory framework for fair competition and growth of the European lighting industry. In a recent survey, it estimated that 71% of lighting products sold online in Europe are non-compliant and that 95% of verified products do not have WEEE and CE certifications and do not comply with the information requirements of Ecodesign, energy labelling and electrical safety.

 

Hence the request to the EU, in a joint letter from 59 trade associations and consumer protection organisations, to intervene against the regulatory loopholes that allow the online sale of sub-standard lighting products and for strict controls to be put in place. European measures on sustainability and product safety, if not respected by all, end up undermining the competitiveness of European companies in favour of unfair practices and counterfeiting.

 

WEEE, Waste electrical and electronic equipment, sets specific criteria for the collection, handling and recycling of electrical and electronic waste. Among other things, electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) must bear the visible, legible and permanently imprinted symbol of the crossed-out wheeled bin on each product.

 

CE marking for lighting products is mandatory because these can expose the consumer to even very serious risks during use.

 

The European Ecodesign Directive is about eco-design, a key tool for improving the environmental performance of products by setting mandatory minimum standards for their energy efficiency. One of the key objectives of the Directive is to promote energy savings. Together with energy labelling, an estimated 230 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) will be saved by 2030 thanks to Ecodesign standards. For consumers, the benefit is on household energy bills, which will drop by an average of EUR 285 per year.